For some reason, I never did fully get Karlene's character. The pieces of her personality didn't coalesce for me. A couple of times she has these strange visions which didn't fit the flow of the story or her character. A disjointed read in my opinion. Lib notes: Mentions of sex, her own horniness, drunk adults. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Remember spelldowns? This book is way bigger than a classroom spelldown. Karlene Bridges is a phenomenal speller. She studies what she calls "chapters" in the dictionary, like the "Tt chapter" and the "Kk chapter." She lives and breathes spelling.

Karlene's home life is held together by her mother and her burning desire to be the National Spelling Bee champion. Life with an unpredictable alcoholic father makes her world a bit of a roller coaster ride. There are times she recalls tender memories, but mostly there are erratic drunken moments filled with disappointment.

The arrival of Mrs. Harrison, a new Latin teacher, fills Karlene's life with hope. A lover of language, Mrs. Harrison becomes coach and mentor to the young speller. Karlene is welcomed into the Harrisons' home and encouraged in her efforts to excel. With Mrs. Harrison's guidance, contests are won, and Karlene inches closer to her dream.

In SPELLDOWN, Karon Luddy brings the spelling world to life for readers. Her story is filled with intriguing characters and terrific vocabulary words. Even the chapter titles will increase your knowledge of words. Luddy keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they observe each spelling contest and watch Karlene grow. ( )

This book is about Karlene Bridges, an eighth-grader whose family just doesn't work right. Her father is an alcoholic, her mother spends too much of her time at her factory job, her sister has gotten married and her brothers can't even say her name right!
The only thing Karlene can be sure about is her amazing spelling gift. That, and her strong friendship with Mrs. Harrison, her young and exciting new Latin teacher.
Mrs. Harrison and Karlene form a bond between teacher and student, and together, they practice spelling.
Karlene has a dream of winning the national spelling bee. Mrs. Harrison is ready to help Karlene to achieve that. But there are a few obstacles they'll have to overcome to make it there.
Karlene and Mrs. Harrison spend time together, eating lunch, sipping sodas, and practicing the hard words. After a while, the only thing that stands between Karlene and the National Spelling Bee is Karlene's spelling bee 'jinx.'
The thing is, whenever Karlene gets to the last round of a spelling bee, she chokes. She can't go on.
In this amazing novel about chasing after your dreams no matter what stands in your way, readers follow Karlene Bridges, Mrs. Harrison, and a cast of wonderfully real characters on a journey to win the national spelling bee. This novel is positively gripping, g-r-i-p-p-i-n-g, gripping.